Towing means for two-wheeled vehicles



Feb. 2%, 1950 UCHTENBERG 2,499,143

TOWING MEAN$ FOR TWO WHEELED VEHICLES Fil ed June 11, 1947 g INVENTOR.

M ya

Patented Feb. 28, 1950 TQVVENGrMEANSrEOR TWG-WHEELED r I VEHICLES EricH'H. Lichtenberg':Milwaukee,"Wis;, assignor-- I to Ko'ehring flom'pany, Milwankeey-wisa a cor-" POI'at IOIIL'I Applicationlunelh T1947, ,SeriaLNo; 753,925;

ZCIaiimsaJCl. 259'1-7 6 My present'invention comprises a 'novel' and tors body, rather than :upwardliftingforce from improved towing" connection for -twmwheele'dan'tuncomfortablestooped overflposition' as'necvehicles of atype having auxiliary supportinglegs' essary' to "be' applied in previous "constructions of. adapted to engage theground or "other support this type.

ing surface"for"'assistin'g* in=the stationary -sup'- Other objects, advantages andfeaturesof the portingor the said vehicle when disconnected invention-will become apparent from'the'followfrom a towing vehiclw In tIie -type of vehicle ingdetailed description of the invention takenin. to which my-invention appertainsthebodystruc: conjun-ction'with theaccompanyingdrawingsin' ture'of-the vehicle is'designed to be-swungaround which? the axis-of the supporting wheels for raising the- Figure, v1 is a perspective view ofia smallportsupporting legs clear"of the ground or' the sup able two-wheeled concrete mixer in stationary porting 'surfacewhen the said vehicle-is to"-be positionwiththe auxiliary'legs resting'upon the.

connected in towing relationwith-atowing ground orcther supporting surface, andvillusvehic1e,'- trating the towing connection of "my invention invention is especially*designedfor use irr 1 as applied thereto. conjunction with-a-small portable type' of con--- Figure-2 is a vertical 'sectionalpview. taken, crete mixenmounted for travel "movement upon-- throughthevehicle illustratedinFigure'1, illus two'supporting wheels and having-theauxiliarytrating more indetail themannerv ofimounting legs aforementioned' forengaging the ground-to of the towing connection; support the -mixer'in upright'position'wlien'dis- Figure 3 is a detailed sectional "view of thede connected-from itstowingvehicle: tachable mounting of therear end of the tow pole. Fora better'understanding of the nature ofmy" Now" referring to; the' drawings; the. portable inventionrit may be'well tomention that'in'this concrete" mixer' there illustrated comprisesv a, typeofsmallportabletwo=wheel-concretemixer" chassis: or frame generally designated. by the having-the auxiliarysupporting' legs aforemengg, numeral'lmounted' upon suitable;springs 2 cartioned, it has been common'in'the pastto provide riedloy the'cross axle 3 having at'either end the.

a towing connection in"'thef0rm"of a tow pole groundxengagingwheel 4 whichiormlthe primary mounted upon the portable mixer in'sucha mansupportfor the mixer vehicle. Upon the chassis ner as=to lie-used as a lever forswingingthebody I is'mounted a suitable engine'BLand suitable supof the mixer around theaxis'ofitsfwheels team 3Q porting structure upon the chassis I isalso protheauxiliary'legs clear ofthe'ground by meansof vided for tilting mounting of the mixing. drumfi a liftingupwardmovement appliedbyithe-work which;is adapted tobe rotatablyidriven for the man" or operator to the tow'pole as'alever'ifon mixing. operation by means of the engine 5'. A disposing'the mixer in positionfor'towing attach suitable handxwheel "Iiis provided for manual tilt-v mentto the pulling vehicle fOI'il'Ii'OVil'igthEIl'liXGI" ing of the mixer drum 5 -for charging and disto'a diiierent location; chargingzoperations.

In" previous vehicleshaving'the type ofitowing' Auxiliary supporting legs 8 are suitably associconnection justmentionedthesame liftingm'ove ated with the chassis .l and the lower endsv of mentappliedb'y the workman'toit'hetow pole 'as'a theselegs 8' are adapted to engage'theground .or lever wasrequired in order" to "swing themixer do the suppprting surface when the mixer vehicle is aroundthe axis .of .thewheelsto bring the aux dsposed, as shown in the drawings, in stationary iliary'legfreeofthegroundforpurposes of manposition disconnected from the pulling vehicle. ual movement of-.the mixer rbythe workman to In carrying out the purposes of my, invention, I another location. This lifting movement necprovide these auxiliary legs 8' attached to the essary to"- be applied by the workman to the *chassis I rearwardly ,ofthe supporting wheels tow pole in either case in the use of previous'vehi and extending downwardly irearwardly of the cles of this type -required'a considerable-amount vehicle. of physical exertion and this lifting movement Thetowing connection,inaccordance withmy had to be app y the W m f o a p invention, comprises a towyvpole. 9, the, ring end, or'bent oven'positionof-his-bodywhich added 10 of which, extends forwardly of lthe mixer, ve-

tothe diiiicultyof -thisoperations-- hicle, so that the ring end iii of the;v tow pole It is the principle object of any-present inverrwhich is used to connect withthe. pulling vehicle tionto provide a towing connectionfor effecting extends to apointin frontiof the wheels ofthe the operations aforesaid in conjunction with the mixer vehicle. The ltow'pole g, ismounted in type of vehicle mentioned and so mounted to the association with the-,chassis frame I sothatwhen Vehicle" in a novel manner; as to enable the operathe mixer vehicle is positioned U as indicated tor tomanipulate the towing-connection from" an the drawing;with' the IegsBj'engaging the; ground upright standing position and by the exertion of a or supporting surface; said tow pole Qextends updownward pushing force applied to the towing wardly and forwardly of the mixer vehicle. To connection assisted by the weight of the operathe foregoing end the tow pole 9 is connected to the chassis frame I by means of sleeve brackets H and I2 bolted to the frame I, the sleeve portions of which co-axially aligned so that the tow pole 9 may extend therethrough and have detachable connection therewith. For the purposes of the detachable connection of the tow pole 9, a pin I3 is utilized and for the purposes of connection is inserted through suitable apertures in the sleeve portion of the rear sleeve bracket and through the rear portion of the tow pole 9, as seen best in Figures 2 and 3. As will be noted upon reference to Figure 2, the sleeve portion of the front sleeve bracket II is positioned at a higher point on the chassis frame I than is the sleeve portion of the rear sleeve bracket l2, having reference to the disposition of the mixer vehicle as when the same is in its stationary position indicated in Figures 1 and 2 with the auxiliary legs 8 resting upon the ground or other supporting surface.

Now with the foregoing construction in mind, it will be seen that with the mixer vehicle in its stationary position of Figures 1 and 2 with the legs 8 resting upon the supporting surface, the tow pole 9 extends upwardly and forwardly in front of the vehicle preferably so that the ring end I of the tow pole is positioned at average chest height of a workman who will manipulate the vehicle. Under such condition, it will be apparent that the operator, when he desires to dispose the mixer vehicle for travel movement, may simply place his hand adjacent the forward end of the tow pole 9 and that pushing downwardly thereon with his hand and possibly also his chest, he will thereby cause the vehicle to swing around the axis 3 of the ground engaging wheels 4 so as to bring the auxiliary legs 8 clear of the ground or other supporting surface. When the mixer vehicle has been so manipulated by means of the tow pole 9, in the manner just described, it will be apparent that the operator [0 by maintaining the tow pole in the proper position may push the vehicle to a desired nearby location, or alternatively may secure the ring end ill of the tow pole in attachment with a pulling vehicle for travel movement to a new more remote location.

Preferably the weight of the vehicle supported by the wheels when the legs 8 are clear of the ground or other supporting surface is so distributed fore and aft of the vehicle that the same will be substantially in balance when the tow pole has been pushed downwardly to a position about at comfortable arms length at which time the tow pole 9 will be disposed substantially in horizontal position. Under the latter condition it will be easy for the operator to pull or push the mixer vehicle to the desired position either for connecting the tow pole to a pulling vehicle or for moving to another location nearby for further mixing operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A two wheel concrete mixing machine of the tow-pole type comprising, in combination, a vehicle frame, an axle connected to the frame, two wheels located at opposite sides of the frame and carried by the ends of said axle for supporting the machine for manual propulsion and when towed by another vehicle, legs rigid with the frame at one end and extending down from the frame to engage the ground when the vehicle is at rest, a concrete mixer and engine unit mounted on the frame in positions such that the weight of the mixer and engine biasses the frame in the direction of the legs and stabilizes the same in a position resting on both the wheels and legs while the vehicle is stationary, a tow-pole on the frame extending from the end of the frame opposite that having the legs and extending transversely to the axle in a vertical plane midway of the planes of the wheels, and attaching means on the frame holding the tow-pole securely thereto in a position in which the tow-pole inclines upwardly and outwardly from the frame in a direction opposite from the legs so that the towpole may be downwardly depressed to an approximately horizontal towing position to swing the vehicle about the wheel axis to raise the legs from the ground and distribute the weight of the vehicle in substantial balance fore and aft of the axle during travel of the vehicle.

2. A two wheel concrete mixing machine of the tow-pole type comprising, in combination, a

vehicle frame, anaxle connected to the frame,

two wheels located at opposite sides of the frame and carried by the ends of said axle for supporting the machine for manual propulsion and when towed by another vehicle, legs rigid with the frame at the rear end and extending at a rearward inclination down from the frame to engage the ground when the vehicle is at rest, a concrete mixer and engine unit mounted on the frame in positions such that the weight of the mixer and engine biasses the frame in the direction of the legs and stabilizes the same in a position resting on both the wheels and legs while the vehicle is stationary, a tow-pole on the framcextending from the front end of the frame opposite that having the legs and extending forwardly from the front end of the frame and transversely to the axle in a vertical plane midway of the planes of the wheels, a tow connection at the forward outer end of the tow-pole, and attaching means on the frame holding the tow-pole securely thereto in a position in which the tow-pole inclines upwardly and forwardly from the frame in a direction opposite from the rearward inclination of the legs so that the tow-pole may be downwardly depressed to an approximately horizontal towing position to swing the vehicle about the wheel axis to raise the legs from the ground and distribute the weight of the vehicle in substantial balance fore and aft of the axle during travel of the vehicle, said attaching means including coaxially aligned sleeve members, one adjacent the rear end of the frame and one adjacent the forward end of the frame, for receiving said towpole.

ERICH H. LICI-ITENBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,181,569 Chein May 2, 1916 1,790,711 Johnston Feb. 3, 1931 2,277,900 Ball Mar. 31, 1942 2,453,583 Muller Nov. 9, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,198 Australia Mar. 16, 1931 

